Island in Place

Christy just sent me 2 pictures of the kitchen island in place in their house.  Here they are.

Double Duty

I worked on the lighthouse and the garden today. It was a beautiful day, sunny, mild and pleasant outside. With the warm weather some of the cats hang around the yard all day. Velcro and Marmalade followed me around all day. Even Slash showed up for awhile at his usual 3PM appearance.

I got the lighthouse cut out and dry fit. Just for fun I put a bucket on top and a lantern to give an idea what the final product might look like. I’m not sure exactly what the top will look like yet. Here’s a picture.

Tomorrow I will probably glue the base and shelves together. We might also do our Target run. We had good luck last Thursday so may see if it might be a better day to go.

The Last Few Days

We are safely home again after a weekend in Jacksonville. On the way over we delivered the kitchen island to C&C. There was a slight problem. The island was about a half-inch wider than the opening into the room. Christian had to remove some molding to get the island into the room. It really looks good when they put their 2 red bar stools next to it.


The primary reason for the trip was the wedding shower for Christy. We just added the delivery of the island and a date night for Karen and Tim to the package. Karen and Tim went to the Jacksonville Symphony on Saturday night. Christy’s shower was Sunday. We drove back on Monday, stopping in High Springs to visit Christy on the way.

So Penny and I had Sophie and Lucy to ourselves Saturday evening. Sophie was fun. Lucy refused to go to sleep and stayed up until K&T came home. She wasn’t crying or upset. She was happy and smiling and just wouldn’t go to sleep.

Sophie was less into play-doh and reading and more into the physical games. She liked to try to run away while I would catch her and slowly let her slip away and then run after her and try to catch her.

We got back home around 6:30. We were a little early to see deer along hwy 85 but we did see 2 of them. All 4 kitties were there at feeding time as if we didn’t go out of town.

Today, Tuesday, I spent time on the lighthouse project. I cut out the body and all the shelves. I used my router to cut the circular shelves out.

Tomorrow I will cut the center holes in the shelves and fit them on the lighthouse. It’s also time to start my garden so in between wedding prep I’ll be planting stuff. I did get the blueberry and blackberry plants in last week and one plant blossomed the day after I planted it.

I had to quit early today because Louie came back into town today and I picked him up at the bus station. He was in good spirits and had a good week in Texas. I took him to dinner, shopping for milk, eggs and bread and then home to his bungalow.

He’s beginning to ruffle some feathers with the We Care folks because he doesn’t stick to their script. He has learned some of his own approaches to teach others. Now he is in a quandary about how to go about his work. His next trip is to Salt Lake City. From there, since he is close to his wife in Oregon, he has arranged to visit her for an undetermined period of time. He said that when he returns from that trip he will probably then be here for as long as 8 months before he goes off again.

So-So Day

I shou1d have known when I woke up that it was not going to be a great day. My cold that I thought was fading was acting up, I was getting a cold sore, my thumbs were extra sore from doing laundry yesterday and the pain in my back had migrated to my neck and shoulder and was worse not better. I helped things along by spilling a full glass of cranberry juice all over the stove, down the front of it and onto the floor. The juice was for taking my morning pills that now lay in the puddle of juice on top of the stove. At least I didn’t forget to put the cup under the coffee maker and fill the counter with fresh brewed coffee like I did on Friday morning.

The day wasn’t all bad. Yes, I hurt but I did finish working on the Kitchen Island. I also shared a chat with a very happy Sophie. She’s in a cute stage and it was fun hearing her.

I decided to quit early today because my hands and back ached at everything I tried to do. I soaked in a hot tub and that helped a little and now I’m lying down as I type this.

Here are some pictures of the island:

Waffle House Plus

We did our usual Waffle House breakfast today and then went to Wal-Mart for some cold medicine for me and then Lowe’s to get some cabinet door bumpers for the kitchen island. While at Lowe’s Penny spotted 2 used metal frame shelves for $20 each, a great buy. We don’t know if we will keep them or give them to the kids but we couldn’t pass them up.


I did the final shaping for the lighthouse using my belt sander and random orbit sander and I’m happy with the result.  Obviously I will cut off the unshaped ends to get the lighthouse body.

I quit working on that project for today and did some finish up on the kitchen island. I drilled holes for the handles, lightly sanded it and put on the final coat of paint. Now all that remains is to install the handles and electrical outlet strip and clean the Formica top. I’m only going to give the top a good cleaning. C&C will have to live with whatever scratches, etc. are on the surface. I found it is not a good idea to mess with Formica. It has a very thin layer of clear coat on it and polishing may wear through it. The most recommended method was to clean it well and wipe it down with mineral oil to keep it shiny. Oh, I have to put the door bumpers on too. So that project is almost done.

It’s supposed to rain tomorrow so maybe I’ll do the other half of the laundry I started this week.

It’s 3AM, I Must Have a Cold

My cold has settled into the back of my throat and sinuses. It has that constant tickle that keeps you from sleeping well. I had no problem falling asleep tonight. We have nice weather and I have our window open and the room was comfortable. I didn’t consider it was Friday night. Evidently the kid next store must have a midnight curfew. At exactly midnight a loud group of kids congregated in his driveway and proceeded to talk and shout to one another. That woke me and started my cold symptoms running. So I got up and grabbed my 7-shot 12 gauge shotgun and rushed outside—I was able to drop 2/3 of the group before I ran out of ammo. Just kidding, but it felt good to write that. Actually I got up and closed the window effectively deadening the noise.

I slept poorly until 3AM when my body said “you’re awake, fellow, so you might as well get up. I got up, took some cold medicine, made myself a cup of tea and turned on the computer. In the process I noticed 3 of the cats were outside so I went out and gave them some attention. The feed bin was empty so I put out some food. Now here I am not feeling tired, blogging away while the medicine and tea hopefully kick in. Saturday is not starting well.

Yesterday we did our usual Target run, got groceries and came home. I spent the rest of the day working on the lighthouse. I took some pictures so you can better understand what I am trying to do.

I explained yesterday—er—Thursday that I glued a bunch of MDF together and put it on a fixture that allowed me to rotate it. Here’s what that looked like:

Next I cut off the corners with the table saw.

Then I used the radial arm saw as a sort of reverse lathe. Instead of the object being shaped turning, the saw blade turns and I run it up and down the piece rotating the piece as I shave off a small layer.

This worked OK until my fixture started shifting without me noticing. The result was I have narrowed the base more than I wanted to. This isn’t a disaster but the lighthouse may end up less slender than I planned. I’m about finished with the radial arm saw and next I will do final shaping with sanders. I don’t have a picture of the work as it looked at the end of the day. That will be my next blog.

So far it’s going OK. I haven’t had any big disaster. So it looks like I’ll be able to make this thing.

Well, it’s now 4 AM and the medicine didn’t do much and I’m still not sleepy. I guess I’ll do some paperwork.

Lou is Off

I spent the morning with Louie, picking him up at his place, running some errands in preparation for his trip and spending some time at Waffle House before dropping him at the bus station. He’s off to Goldthwaite, TX, a small city in Central Texas. The population was 1,802 at the 2000 census. He’s going to be staying at the preacher’s house. He was excited about the trip.  Here's a picture of downtown  Goldthwaite.

I spent the afternoon making a 7” by 7” by 3 ‘block of MDF out of which I hope to make a lighthouse. Essentially I glued 9, ¾“MDF panels together. I ran a dowel through the center of the block end to end to act as an axle and mounted it on a fixture so I can rotate the whole block and shape it into the lighthouse shape. Now I have to shape it the easiest way I can figure out. I’ll either use the radial arm saw or belt sander. In either case I have to make a jig to hold the block in position.

Tomorrow is Target day.

Rainy Days and Laundry

Happy ST Patrick’s Day!
Today was among other things laundry day. I haven’t done it in weeks and there is a big pile. I guess that says something about how much underwear we have. I only got about half of it done but now we have clean underwear again.

I’ve also picked up a cold so between that, my back and my thumbs I’m miserable and tired today.

Tomorrow I provide transport for brother Louie to the bus station. He’s off to a mini campaign in Texas.

I did some more design work on the cupcake stand and now have it all dimensioned out. It should hold over 60 cupcakes. That’s 20% more than the requirement so there is lots of room for error in my calculations. Now actually building it is the challenge-especially the truncated cone shape of the lighthouse. It will be over 2 Ft tall and narrow from 7 inches to 4 inches on top. If I can’t make it round I can make it octagonal with the tools I have.

Kitty Update—All 4 cats showed up last night for the first time since the dogs left.

Dis and Dat

I did a little bit of several tasks today. I did some housework, vacuumed the car, did some garden preparation and some design work for the cupcake stand.
My current thinking is to make something like this:

A multi-tiered stand with a lighthouse in the center. Each level would be bordered by rope. I’ll think about this for a day and see if C&C like the idea—then I’ll make it. I’m also going to make a lobster trap gift box to hold gift envelopes.

My computer is acting up again—I’m operating in safe mode. I’m going to get some hard drive imaging software and probably replace my hard drive. I think the problem is in the drive itself because it ‘s stating to stutter and spin up periodically. Wish me luck. I found out Norton Ghost doesn’t work on my 64 bit machine so I’m going to get some software from Acronis. That’s the topic of a future blog.

My back isn’t much better than yesterday. I’m just putting up with it.

The Ides of March

My roommate in college liked to do his own imitation of Brother Dave Gardner’s comedy routine about Caesar. In it the soothsayer sayeth “Beware the ides of March”. So I always think of him on this day and his goofy rendition of the line.
I didn’t do much today—I’m resting that sore back as much as I can. I did get my hair cut today, woo-hoo! After that I relaxed for about 3 hours just lying around in my recliner. The pain is not as severe as it was on Sunday so at least it looks like it is getting better.

I did order a pair of pretty apple green shoes for Christy and the 30 small lanterns she ordered were delivered today.

My wardrobe usually has little of the appropriate green color to wear on St Patrick’s Day. Green is not my favorite color. But with the wedding coming and apple green as one of the colors my green wardrobe has expanded. I have no problem finding some green to wear.

When we left Jacksonville Tim asked Sophie where Grandma and Grandpa live. T&K are teaching Sophie peoples names and locations. Sophie’s answer was “Kansas City”. That’s where the other set of grandparents live. Sophie knows we don’t live in Kansas City. So Tim asked her again. She said “Kansas City” again—this time with a little smile on her face. She likes to jerk us around.

Kitty Update—the 2 orange cats have shown up each evening since we’ve been back. Typically the other 2 take about 4 days to reappear after we’ve been away.

Tomorrow my back pain level will determine what I get done.

800 Driving Miles—9.3 Walking Miles

It was a full and tiring weekend. I’ll begin with Thursday when Christy and I took our last training walk before the River Run on Saturday. We walked about 3 miles with Christy’s dogs, Finn and Stella. Those dogs are well trained for walking. They are all business. For the whole walk they lead the way keeping tension on the leash pulling you along. I was impressed. What I didn’t know was I was stretching and stressing a muscle in my neck and back that would hurt badly all weekend. I had no indication while walking that I was doing that.

After doing wedding preparation all week on Friday we loaded Christy and the dogs in the car and brought her back to High Springs. Then it was on to Jacksonville. We had to get our race packets that evening. That’s part of the fun of the run. 15,000 people have to get packets in 2 nights. They handle the crowds well. After getting our packets, and race shirt and tracking chip we go out into the exhibit area to pick up freebies. The first stop was free popcorn. Once Sophie got that she was happy. We got the traditional glass and shopping bag from Publix. After that we all went to dinner at Sweet Tomatoes and loaded up on calories for tomorrows 9.3 mile walk.

Saturday morning I got up around 5 AM. Since there were 5 of us participating we could all go in 1 car so I drove us all to the run. We left at about 6:30 and arrived by the prescribe 7 AM. We got there easily with relatively light traffic just as a little fender bender occurred in the main lane of traffic. We were sure that would cause a nasty back up that we just avoided. It was cool and windy and we found a sheltered area near beside one of the big Gate Petroleum trucks they had parked near the starting line. We had about an hour and a half to wait until the 8:30 start.

I got embarrassed when I heard the announcer saying, well, trying to say, my name because someone had found my racing chip. Yes, me, the engineer didn’t properly fasten the chip to my shoelaces.

The weather was just about perfect for the walk. The run begins to the inspiring “Chariots of Fire” and live bands are sprinkled along the rout at about mile intervals. People line the route to encourage all the participants. Homeowners sit on folding chairs in their front yards and many dogs are on the sidelines. Christy and Christian liked the dogs. C&C and Karen and I walked and Tim ran and walked in intervals. Our names were on our number card that we wore on our chests and many of the spectators would call out our names in encouragement. I passed one guy in his yard and he probably had had some alcohol already in him. He was telling everyone who was walking that the sign said “Gate River RUN” not walk. I playfully said to him “well, I don’t see you down here”. That got a good laugh but I could hear him spouting off as I walked on.

At about the halfway point Karen was getting hungry.

The last mile and a half of the walk is crossing the Park Bridge—180 feet over the St Johns River. The last band was playing "Running on Empty". We held our hands over our heads as we crossed the finish line. It took us just under 3 hours to walk the distance. We all got our race medals. Then we found Tim who had gotten a banana for each of us. (By the time the walkers arrive they are out of them)

Everyone was in line to get free beer when they ran out so we left. We hit Wendy’s drive-thru on the way to the house with a big confusing order. Instead of missing some items we ended up with a free Frosty and an extra sandwich.

After lunch and some rest we all went to look at the house K&T are thinking about buying. It is a brand new place that looked nice. They have some concerns about location but the house itself looked good for them.

Sunday we did church and Famous Amos and drove home. My sore neck and back was aggravated somewhat by the long walk and hurt on the drive back. I’m going to take it easy for a couple days and see if that helps.

It was a very full weekend and after the full week we had with Christy’s visit I am tired! I should catch up on the sleep tonight.

This coming week I will finish the kitchen island and start preparation for the week of the wedding.

Wedding Preparations

With Christy in town we have been running around all day making wedding preparations. That translates into buying stuff and reserving stuff and making decisions about how we will do things.

Yesterday we reserved chairs, got some of Christy’s clothes and some accessories. We worked our way out to the Silver Sands outlets, stopping at Harbordocks for lunch and finishing up with a dinner of deep dish cheese pizza at Ciao Bella. Today started in town at A C Moore and finished up at The Commons shopping center in Destin. We’ve accomplished a lot.

Here’s what each table will look like (except for the little lantern candles that will be on each table).

Here’s Christy after a make-up session with the Bobbi Brown rep.

I did a little work on the kitchen island today also. I measured and marked where the handles will go. I put blue tape in each location and took a picture.

We have worn ourselves out the past 2 days. Tomorrow should be easier but still full. Christy and I may even get in a walk. After all we are going to walk 9 miles on Saturday!

Christy is Here

We drove to Gainesville yesterday. We picked up Christy this morning and brought her home for a visit.

We chatted about wedding plans on the drive back. Once back in town and after a short rest we went to a rental place and reserved chairs for the wedding. Christy will be here until Thursday or Friday depending on what we accomplish and how we work the weekend. I may deliver the kitchen island when I drive her home.

For now it is time to relax and unwind a little. Does she look relaxed?

March 4th

I haven’t been blogging because I haven’t done much that is blogworthy. I’ve been putting full time into building the kitchen island-until yesterday. Yesterday was Penny’s day. We celebrated her birthday doing things she likes to do. We went to Pensacola, ate at Red Robin, went to Hobby Lobby and a fabric store. We continued the celebration today (her actual birthday) with pecan waffles for breakfast, Slick Mick’s for lunch and amaretto coffee after a small dinner.

I did get back to the kitchen island today and got it finished except for final sanding, painting and handles. Here are pictures.

Hope you like what you see C&C.